Two days after Tomas a category 1 hurricane passed over the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said he plans to appeal to regional and international institutions for assistance to help recover from the “national disaster”.
The Prime Minister has estimated so far that it will cost at least EC$9 million (US$3.3 million) just to repair the approximately 300 houses that were seriously damaged. The rehabilitation of the agriculture sector – which was severely affected as bananas, plantains and fruit trees vital to the country’s economy were destroyed – and repairs to schools and other public buildings, roads, bridges and other infrastructure, are also expected to add significant costs.
According to Gonsalves, the country will need “quick emergency assistance to get ourselves back on our feet in the shortest possible time”.
